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kappafrog's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Miscarriage, Death, Animal death, Death of parent, Medical content, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Chronic illness, Abandonment, Excrement, Classism, Grief, Cancer, Police brutality, Toxic relationship, and Ableism
Minor: Gun violence, Infertility, Infidelity, Terminal illness, and Vomit
aster_isms's review
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Little Gods by Meng Jin is an amazing book, detailing the life and mystery of Su Lan, as we learn of her from her old neighbor, a friend, and her daughter.
1. Entertainment
10/10
This book was really entertaining to me. Something about it, I don't know, was really captivating and made me want to keep reading. I would pick up the book and next thing I knew, I was 50 pages later. It didn't feel like parts dragged on for too long or a place was too short. The mystery of figuring out who Su Lan really was was also pretty captivating.
This book was really entertaining to me. Something about it, I don't know, was really captivating and made me want to keep reading. I would pick up the book and next thing I knew, I was 50 pages later. It didn't feel like parts dragged on for too long or a place was too short. The mystery of figuring out who Su Lan really was was also pretty captivating.
2. Characters
8/10
The characters (except for Zhang Bo and Zhu Wen) were pretty unlikeable at times, but I think that works pretty well for the book and definitely isn't a negative critique of the book.
Li Yongzong: The faults of this character captivated me, although it wasn't too much to write home about. Spoilers for the book ahead: His sheer love of Su Lan (purely out of her beauty if we are being honest) was written really well, I think, especially as we saw the opposing views to what he thought. His mistreatment of Zhang Bo also goes well with his character that was established. It was really smart to have him basically run away during Liya's birth: He always ran away from the consequences of his actions. Really well done. 8/10
Su Lan: What is there to say about Su Lan without saying WOW. This book was amazing, at portraying her, both in her faults and in her virtues. Spoilers ahead: The dynamic of her being originally an ambitious, shy girl with a love of photography and academia into a jaded woman, who hated photography and academia, purely because of Yongzong's leaving of her. We see the sheer love of her from Zhang Bo and Li Yongzong, but also the contradictions of her from Zhu Wen, and finally the meanness of her from Liya. Absolutely AMAZING. 10/10
Zhang Bo: Really loved his character, although it did kind of feel like he didn't have any faults at all. 8/10
Zhu Wen: I also really liked how she was written! Even though anything outside of her interactions with Su Lan wasn't terribly important to the story, it really felt like you got to know her and her relationship with her husband, Tao Kun. As she grew more spiritual and believing in ghosts, you could also see her deteoriating mental abilities. 8/10
Liya: She is really interesting to me, but I feel like out of all the characters she was the most poorly developed, despite being the person we are mainly looking through the story with, and why we are even reading this story in the first place. I wouldn't say she is particularly likeable, but I understand her decisions. 6/10
Li Yongzong: The faults of this character captivated me, although it wasn't too much to write home about. Spoilers for the book ahead:
Su Lan: What is there to say about Su Lan without saying WOW. This book was amazing, at portraying her, both in her faults and in her virtues. Spoilers ahead:
Zhang Bo: Really loved his character, although it did kind of feel like he didn't have any faults at all. 8/10
Zhu Wen: I also really liked how she was written! Even though anything outside of her interactions with Su Lan wasn't terribly important to the story, it really felt like you got to know her and her relationship with her husband, Tao Kun. As she grew more spiritual and believing in ghosts, you could also see her deteoriating mental abilities. 8/10
Liya: She is really interesting to me, but I feel like out of all the characters she was the most poorly developed, despite being the person we are mainly looking through the story with, and why we are even reading this story in the first place. I wouldn't say she is particularly likeable, but I understand her decisions. 6/10
3. Plot
9.5/10
I actually really enjoyed the plot of the book! Figuring out about the identity and who Su Lan was was really fun. Don't have much to say, it was just really good. It did deviate from the plot a bit, especially in personal letters with Zhu Wen and Li Yongzong, but I don't think that is bad, just due to the fact that its the characters talking about themselves.
4. Writing style
8.75/10
Writing style was REALLY good. I loved the switch in perspective between Zhu Wen, Li Yongzong, and Liya who all gave different views and relationships to Su Lan. I didn't particularly like the ending, though, which I will give as its main problem. The lack of use for quotation marks I don't really get, either.
5. Editing
10/10
Saw basically no problems with this, chapters segmented nicely.
Saw basically no problems with this, chapters segmented nicely.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, and Violence
Moderate: Xenophobia, Toxic relationship, and Grief
imaginaryempire's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Grief, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Gun violence
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